A Guide to Thornton Wilder letters to Hildegarde and Norman V. Donaldson, 1923-1946 #9773-k

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Processed by: Special Collections Department

Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Thornton Wilder letters to Hildegarde and Norman V. Donaldson, 1923-1946, in the Clifton Waller Barrett Library, Accession #9773-k, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was purchased by the library from Rare Books, Valley Stream, N.Y., on 1995 June 2.

Scope and Content Information

The collection consists of four letters and a telegram from Thorton Wilder to violist Hildegarde Donaldson and her husband, Norman V. Donaldson.

Topics include Wilder's mother, a sermon by William Lyon Phelps, a Fritz Kreisler concert, correcting themes, the acting career of Hildegarde's sister, admiration for Paul Valery, a recent performance by Hildegarde which Mitchell also appreciated and recommended reading.

Contents List

Letters

Thornton Wilder, Davis House, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, to violist Hildegarde Donaldson (Mrs. Norman V. Donaldson), New Haven, Connecticut 1923 Dec 3

ALS; 2 pages, with envelope

[speaks of his mother, "But wherever my mother goes she surrounds herself with the same Chinese embroideries and books and delicious tea and personal charm and a troup of original sons and daughters, and calls it a home. How foolish of her!" He also mentions meeting a friend of hers, Fleischner, the new French master; hearing Billy Phelps preach Sunday with four references to Browning and three to Ibsen; refers to his "eternal theme corrections" as a teacher; and urges her to enjoy a long convalescence by reading lengthy works such as the letters of Madame de Sevigne or the novels of Richardson]
Thornton Wilder, Davis House, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, to Hildegarde Donaldson, New Haven, Connecticut 1924 Jan 17

ALS; four pages, with envelope

[writes enthusiastically about the acting career of her sister, mentions the novel L' Histoire Comique by Anatole France (1844-1924), literary editor of Le Temps , about the "wings of the Second Theatre," and promises next year to share with her some of his favorite readings, "certain pages where Paul Valery explains why literature so often flourishes about courts and aristocracies (not after all a hard thing to explain) instead of about the sweet noble lives of republics and self-governing villages." Thornton also writes out a few bars of music and refers to hearing [Fritz ?] Kreisler (1875-1962) play several musical pieces and critcizes his handling of the last movements]
Thornton Wilder, New Haven, to "Dear Midge" [Donaldson ?] 1938 May 11

ALS; two pages

[thanks her for her words of congratulation over his literary success, explains why he used his colored pencil to write to her, "For me, you'll always be something of the one-year-old that I first knew, so I write you with my colored pencil, reserved for children." He also promises to come over to visit her and her father and talk plenty of "theatre talk."]
Thornton Wilder, New Haven, to "Dearest Hildygardy" 1940 Dec 24

ALS; two pages

[informs her that they are about to set out for her house and are thinking of her with a lot of love, sends some clippings for her to read, and says, "Our 'Little Town of Bethlehem' will be for you."]